The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday for a $1.01 trillion government funding bill, despite opposition from both conservative and liberal representatives. The stopgap measure funds most federal governmental operations through next September. Read more »

The work slowdown at West Coast ports is affecting every part of the economy, especially agriculture. Without a full strike or a lockout, however, the president won't intervene. Meanwhile, business at British Columbia ports is booming -- and the work might never return to the U.S. Read more »

With hacks of major retailers making the news with distressing regularity, the state attorney general is proposing a law requiring disclosure of consumer data breaches. While the law would affect anyone who works with customer data, it should be of particular interest to banks, retailers, credit card companies, pharmaceutical companies and grocers.

The Tacoma City Council will move forward this week on a paid sick leave policy that would require businesses to pay for at least three sick days per year. Meanwhile, activists filed an initiative to put a $15 minimum wage law "with teeth" on the Tacoma ballot in 2015.

The Legislature will be asked in January to give final approval to a pilot project that would charge drivers for miles traveled. The Road Usage Charge would eventually replace the gas tax, which is seeing declining revenues as hybrids and electric vehicles increase in popularity.

For the seventh year in a row, Battelle's national laboratory operations in Richland met or bested America's other nine Department of Energy Office of Science labs. Of particular note was its operation of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory and PNNL's A-plus grade for work to modernize the nation's electrical grid.

The Pacific Northwest's only nuclear-powered electrical generating station finished its third decade of operation over the weekend -- and this clean, reliable baseload generating facility is only halfway through its operating life.

Under state law, any collectively bargained pay raises and benefit increases for state employees must be declared "financially feasible for the state" by the Office of Financial Management (OFM). While this review sounds like a good idea, it isn't useful if OFM chooses to willfully ignore reality so that it can give its stamp of approval.

That's the situation the state currently finds itself in. The Governor's Office negotiated pay and benefit hikes with state employee unions, and OFM has declared the new costs to be financially feasible "considering the state's obligations...in combination with the current and forecasted economic and revenue conditions for Washington.

Amid all the finger-pointing and half-truths regarding the Legislature's alleged failure to pass and fund a transportation plan, a glance back at the 2003 "nickel package" provides the best tutorial on how to successfully get a transportation-revenue package through the Legislature and to the governor's desk. The themes from over a decade ago run startlingly parallel to today.